Rick Scott says he’s not ready to commit to debating Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Florida GOP Sen Rick Scott at Jaguar CrossFit in Tampa on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)Rick Scott said Wednesday that, if he were Donald Trump, he would do “as many debates as possible” against Kamala Harris.

But when asked whether he’ll commit to at least one debate against his own Democratic opponent, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the Florida Republican deflected.

“I’m watching to see if she’s going to start traveling the state,” Scott told CNN reporter Manu Raju. “She spends all of her time in Miami. I continue to travel the state.”

Scott’s criticism of his opponent’s campaign strategy isn’t the first time that his camp has voiced those sentiments. But in fact, Mucarsel-Powell launched what she says will be a 75-stop tour across the state two weeks ago, which included stops in stops in Orlando and Jacksonville last weekend.

“We’ll see what happens,” Scott replied when asked a second time about a debate.

Shortly after that exchange, Mucarsel-Powell reiterated that she’s already agreed to three statewide televised debates.

“Lucky for @ScottforFlorida, I’ve agreed to debates in West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, and Tampa,” she wrote on X. “Would love to see you on stage since you think debates are so important! That is, if you’re not too scared to debate a Latina like me.”

Scott was in Philadelphia during Tuesday night’s debate there, “clear evidence that Scott knows debates are a key part of the democratic process,” the Florida Democratic Party said in a written statement.

The senator was asked by reporters on Wednesday what he thought of the comment by Trump in the debate that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting eating pets, despite the fact that the story has been denied by Springfield officials, according to the Associated Press.

“I have no idea what’s going on there,” Scott said about the issue in Springfield. “Here’s what I can tell. In Florida we’ve got a great Haitian community. They’re wonderful people. I’ve put in a lot of time into it with them. I have one of my employees [who] is of Haitian background. … I go to churches with Haitians. They’re a big part of our state. They’re a wonderful part of our state.”

Meanwhile, Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign said Wednesday that it had raised more than $1 million with 13,000 first-time donors in the 48 hours after a poll from Emerson College showed her in a statistical tie with Scott.

When asked if he was concerned the race was tightening, Scott’s response was succinct.

“I’m going to work my butt off,” he said.